


True Love Starts With Us

by Pizza_Pizza



Category: Original Work, Princess Bride (1987)
Genre: Angst, Arranged Marriage, Fluff, Kidnapping, M/M, Original work - Freeform, Pirates, Princes, Princess Bride AU, but its forced, lovers reuniting, shortened version
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:34:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29941797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pizza_Pizza/pseuds/Pizza_Pizza
Summary: When Rowan's true love, Landon, dies during his time out at sea, he decides to resign himself to a life of solitude and loneliness - after all, if he cannot have Landon in this life, he will wait for him in the next. However, Rowan's plan of isolation goes awry when the future ruler of his kingdom, Levania, Prince Humphrey, decides to ask for his hand in marriage. Due to Humphrey's royal status, Rowan is forced to accept and begin training to become a bride fit for the prince of Levania. Although life as the new prince bride is hard, Rowan learns to adjust but, all his hard work gets thrown out the window when he is kidnapped by a band of misfits...(Basically, this is a princess bride au with my characters >.<)
Relationships: Landon/Rowan, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 1





	True Love Starts With Us

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, so here's my princess bride au with my characters Rowan and Landon. I hope that you all like it- if any of you have any feedback or prompts (I'm open to anything) you'd like to give me, just pop it in the comment section >.<
> 
> Some things that you guys should know is that I changed Prince Humperdink's name to Prince Humphrey, the original kingdom name has been changed Levania (I was too lazy to look it up at the time so I made a new one, sozzles), I swapped out Inigo's character for my own oc, Parvati, (I'm very sorry if anyone is offended by that) and I also changed Landon's back story a bit. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys are staying safe and taking care of yourselves; enjoy!

Rowan knew what love was. Having experienced it himself, he could recognize it from afar- the longing looks, the subtle brush of hands and the electric shock that came with it, the way the whole world seemed to be contained in a single person. He had known what love was and he knew it was not this.

“My love?” the man standing beside him said, his hand snaking its way from Rowan’s shoulder down to his waist, giving it a slight squeeze.

Rowan jumped from the contact; not yet used to the feeling of foreign hands touching him. He swallowed thickly and looked towards the man or more accurately at the golden crown adorning his head, reminding himself why he was here, why he was doing this.

“I told you not to call me that,” Rowan murmured, soft enough so that the king standing in front of them with his wife wouldn’t be able to hear him but his son could.

“We are getting married,” Prince Humphrey hissed into his ear, his hand on Rowan’s waist tightening ever so slightly- not enough to be painful but enough so that Rowan could pick up on his threat. “It’s only fair that we should start acting like it, no?”

Rowan scoffed at Humphrey’s words as well as the sickly-sweet smile that was shot his way.

“This marriage is a farce anyway, so you’ll forgive me if I don’t see the point, no?” he bit back, his tone coated in loathing.

“You may not love me now,” Humphrey began, leaning down until his lips were practically pressed against Rowan’s ears, causing his breath to hitch at the sudden and close proximity. “But when I marry you- and whether you like it or not, this marriage will happen- you will eventually fall in love with me.”

Rowan felt his stomach lurch at his words but nonetheless didn’t say anything. He couldn’t remember the number of times they had had this argument- Rowan saying that he hated Humphrey and would never forgive him for forcing him into this marriage and Humphrey pretending to care about him and say that Rowan will grow to love him. Rowan never believed his words. How could he? Especially considering that Humphrey didn’t love him in the slightest.

He wasn’t sure why Humphrey wanted him. In the beginning, Rowan had thought it was because of his reputation of being one of the most people beautiful people in the kingdom but Humphrey didn’t seem to care about that. He never paid attention to Rowan and he was always staring at himself in the mirror, admiring his reflection. Rowan was sure that if he asked him who was the most beautiful in the land, Humphrey would answer with his own name instead of anyone else’s. What was perhaps the funniest part, was that Humphrey was a very average looking person- Rowan thought that the cows grazing his yard back at the farm were better looking than Humphrey. So, if Rowan’s beauty was not what attracted the man, what else could it be?

Rowan still remembered the day he had shown up on the farm, his whole entourage of guards and servants hovering behind him, unsure of why they were there in the first place. Only Humphrey knew what was going to happen and it seemed to give everyone accompanying him a feeling of unease.

His father, on the hand, had been delighted at the arrival of their future ruler and when the prince had asked for Rowan, his father had been even more excited, practically tripping over his feet to bring him to the dining area.

_“I refuse,” Rowan said quietly, halting the conversation between his father and the prince. “I am sorry my prince but I cannot accept your proposal.”_

_When Rowan had first been dragged from his room to the dining area, Humphrey wasted no time in striding over towards him and pulling out a ring- of course, he didn’t kneel down when proposing; how could he? He was a prince but the action still caused a flare of irritation to light up inside Rowan. Prince or not, everyone deserved to be humbled at least once in their life._

_“I-I’m sorry,” Humphrey stuttered, unsure if he had heard the other correctly. Any peasant would die to have his hand in marriage and yet, here was this man, not even fazed by his question- there was no excitement in his eyes or apprehension, just the same dead look._

_“Rowan,” his father hissed. “What is wrong with you?”_

_Rowan shook his head. “I’m not getting married. I can’t.”_

_A shocked laugh escaped the prince’s lips which he quickly covered up with a cough at the looks of some of his men._

_“My love,” the prince said, gathering the other’s hands in his._

_Rowan flinched at the unfamiliar contact and immediately snatched them back, scowling at his future ruler._

_“Don’t call me that,” he snapped causing the sickly-sweet smile which had been adorning the prince’s face to slip off. “I am not your lover nor will I ever be.”_

_“Rowan, enough!” his father shouted, glaring at his son. He turned to Humphrey and started apologizing profusely for his son’s words but the prince only smiled at him- albeit a fake one but no one was going to say anything._

_“It’s alright, I’m sure he’ll warm up to the idea eventually,” Humphrey smiled._

_“You can ask me million times and my answer will always be no,” Rowan snarled and got up to leave. However, he had barely even taken a couple of steps before his father was yelling out to him, stopping him in his tracks with his brutal words._

_“You can’t keep waiting for him to come back, Rowan,” his father yelled. “Landon is dead. Dead. He won’t come back to marry you, to take you away so, there’s no use punishing yourself like this.”_

_Rowan froze, his blood running cold at his father’s words._

_“I know that,” he said quietly._

_It wasn’t that he was waiting for Landon to come back- no, he was not delusional. He just couldn’t find it in himself to move on, to let himself love again. Landon was supposed to be the only one for him so how could he even begin to give his heart over to another?_

_“Then please,” his father begged. He stood up from the dining table and walked towards his son, gently cradling the other’s hands in his own. “Please.”_

_Rowan shook his hand and pulled away. “I can’t.”_

_He nodded his head as a farewell before walking out of the room and to his room, softly shutting the door behind him. Rowan pressed a hand to his mouth trying to muffle the sob threatening to break through and leant back against the door. He slid down until he was sitting on the dusty floor._

_Seven years ago, his father had hired a farmhand. His name was Landon and Rowan fell hopelessly in love with him._

_However, that part only came much later on. At the beginning of their relationship, Rowan had hated the other, using every opportunity he had to make him miserable, ordering him to do meaningless and tiring jobs even though Rowan easily could have done them himself. Landon knew this but he never once complained; instead, each time he would answer with a simple “as you wish” and then drop whatever he was doing to complete the task that Rowan had instructed him to do. This often used to infuriate him and he would usually respond by giving the other more tasks. Eventually, he ran out of tasks and when Landon pointed this out to him, in a burst of pointless anger, he ordered the other to hand him a pot even though it was sitting on the counter right next to him._

_Rowan still remembered the way the other had scoffed, the light tug of his lips and the slight exhale as he snorted at the ridiculous command. However, he still followed it nonetheless, striding over towards Rowan until he was right in front of him, barely a breath away._

_Rowan froze as the other gently picked up his right hand. He was too mesmerized by the deep blue of Landon's eyes to register what he had done. Had they always been that colour? So bright and tranquil with a hint of a storm hanging in the background. Rowan had never seen the ocean but he had had it described to him- how the water was dark and cruel, with violent waves crashing into each other, creating a deafening roar from their wrath. He was also told that the ocean could be tranquil, the soft lapping of the waves on the shore an instant source of peace. Rowan could have sworn that when he looked into Landon's eyes he saw both versions of the ocean._

_Landon had handed him the pot then and muttered the same phrase “as you wish” however before Rowan had viewed it with contempt, now, the words made his stomach flutter._

_Falling in love was easy from there- it turns out that Landon was already smitten with him and so, the beginning of their relationship was quite simple. They spent a happy year together, falling more in love with each other by the day however, all good things had to come to an end. Landon wanted to ask for Rowan’s hand in marriage but since he did not have enough money, he could not bring himself to do so. Rowan had tried to argue that they had the farm; they didn’t need to be rich but Landon couldn’t let it be; saying that this was more about proving himself. He quit his job at the farm and went searching for a job._

_Eventually, he found one but if he took it, it meant that him and Rowan would not be able to see each other for about a year. It was a simple job on a boat, working as a seaman; there was nothing dangerous about it and upon knowing this, Rowan begrudgingly agreed. He hated the idea of Landon leaving him but at the same time, he understood why the other was doing it and so, instead of reviling his lover’s choices, he chose to support him._

_Even though he had sobbed for three days after Landon had left, he still found it within himself to be happy that the other was accomplishing his dreams._

_It was only when a messenger boy had arrived, almost a year after Landon had left, that he began to regret letting his lover ever step foot out of the village. The boy had said that Landon's ship had been attacked by a ruthless pirate called Black swan and the ship had sunken. At first, Rowan had had hope that perhaps there were survivors but that died down quickly when he found out that Black Swan left no survivors and when two years passed with no sign of the other, Rowan was forced to accept the truth._

_“Excuse me?”_

_Rowan jumped at the intrusion, scrambling to get up off the floor and to open the door. He prayed that the prince had left and that it was only his father however, when he opened the door and saw Humphrey, his heart sank with disappointment._

_“Oh,” he said. “My prince, I’m sorry but-”_

_“Can we talk?” the prince interrupted him._

_Rowan pursed his lips but nonetheless opened the door wider for the other to step in before shutting it. He watched as Prince Humphrey inspected his room with a mildly disgusted look on his face._

_“Rowan, I know you don’t want to get married to me but I really think you should reconsider, I mean-” he stepped forward and lightly caressed the other’s arm- “just look at your situation. You and your father are not very well off and just think if something were to happen to him, what would become of the farm. The both of you combined can barely take care of the place-”_

_“Are you threatening me?” Rowan asked in disbelief, a giant flame of anger erupting within his chest. His blood was running hot and if Humphrey wasn’t the future ruler of his country, he was sure he would have slapped him._

_“Threatening you?” Humphrey chuckled darkly. “Oh no, I would never. No, I’m merely just suggesting that you properly reconsider my proposal. My men and I will be back in three days and by then, I hope you will have made your choice.”_

_Without giving Rowan a chance to answer back, Humphrey walked out of the room letting the door fall shut with a slam._

Rowan shivers at the memory. How he ever thought Humphrey was a respectable figure and deserved to rule the land was a mystery to him.

“And now-” the king yelled, him and his wife stepping back to allow Humphrey and Rowan to step through- “my son has an announcement to make.”

The four of them were currently standing on top of the tower that overlooked the courtyard of the castle. Almost the entirety of the kingdom was gathered in the small space, pushing and shoving to get as close to the castle so that they could hear the king better.

“To the beautiful people of Levania, I am excited to announce that I have chosen my bride,” he yelled and raised his and Rowan’s joint hands. “He is special in the sense that he is a commoner, like all of you standing before me. I have chosen him specifically not only because of his outstanding beauty but because he will also be able to speak on behalf of the people. When I am king, I want to be able to close the bridge between royalty and peasants so that, all of the occupants of our kingdom may be satisfied and the insecurity caused by the wealth gap may disappear. So, without further ado, here is Prince Rowan, my bride to be.”

A cheer erupted from the crowd making Rowan wince. Partly, from the sheer ferocity of the people and also at their ignorance. How could they believe him so easily- especially since his words sounded so cliché, so rehearsed, so…fake.

Humphrey lowered their hands down and the minute, it was out of the people’s sights, Rowan ripped it from his grasp, wiping it on his pants. He felt as if he had touched something slimy and gross.

“Rowan, you must truly enjoy making life difficult,” Humphrey sighed.

“Perhaps but at least, it is by my own choice,” Rowan bit back, not in the least bit sorry for his actions.

“Then don’t be sorry when the consequences of those choices come back to bite you,” Humphrey hissed and Rowan felt shivers slither down his spine.

When Landon had first come to the farm, Rowan couldn’t even get on a horse let alone ride one and so, when they first realized their love for each other, the first thing they did together was learning how to horse ride- with Landon being the teacher and Rowan the student. At first, Rowan had been apprehensive but after a couple of lessons, he began to feel confident enough to ride alone. And when Landon left for his sea journey, Rowan began riding almost every day; it was the only thing that helped him get through the pain of missing the other, that calmed his nerves. Even when Humphrey had forced him to move into the castle, Rowan would find himself at the stables constantly- it was the only thing he was grateful to Humphrey for. He had especially taken a liking to a chestnut brown horse with a white mark stamped in the middle of its forehead and upon finding out that it didn’t have a name, he called it Acorn.

And so, as soon as the announcement ended and he was relieved of his duty as Humphrey’s bride, Rowan hurried down to the stables, saddling up Acorn and taking off before anyone could stop him.

Rowan didn’t know how long he rode for, just that by the time he had stopped, the sun was beginning to set and there was no sign of civilisation for miles on end.

“Excuse me, sir?”

Rowan jumped. He hadn’t noticed that there was someone standing right before him and felt slightly guilty.

“Uh yes?” he asked nervously.

Rowan never used to fear strangers but since he had become Humphrey’s bride there seemed to be many people after him, people he had never talked to seemed to be whispering about him and spreading lies as if they knew who he was. Even the short number of friends he used to have started acting weird when the news dropped that he was to be marrying their future ruler- most started to avoid him while others tried to use him for fame. As a result of this, Rowan grew to revile the people around him as well as the random strangers he came into contact with- after all, who knew what their true intentions were?

As if sensing his anxiety, the man smiled at him. He was short or rather he seemed short compared to his companions- there was a giant standing beside on his right, a dopey look on his features, scratching at the wild array of curls sitting atop his head which contrasted against the short man’s bald head. On the left was a young, Indian girl, looking to be round about Rowan’s age. She had two thick black plaits cascading down her shoulders and the sparkly hilt of a sword at her side; it glittered prettily at Rowan and he couldn’t help the way his gaze stuck on the object.

“By any chance, is there a town nearby?” the short man asked. “We’re a travelling circus you see and we’re supposed to be performing soon but we’re absolutely lost.

The giant nodded along while the girl scoffed and looked away; she seemed irritated by the whole conversation and Rowan figured it must have been the toll of the day’s travels.

Pity pushed its way up into Rowan’s heart and he felt guilty for ever thinking that these strangers were here to harm him.

“I’m sorry but there’s no village in range for miles and miles. At least, I don’t think so,” Rowan chuckled sheepishly. “You see, I’m also lost.”

“Oh!” the short man said, a hint of excitement in his voice. “That’s great.”

Rowan gave him a confused look and before he could figure out what was so great about being lost, the giant stepped forward, grabbing him by the arm and roughly yanking him off his horse, sending him sprawling onto the ground. The girl, on the other hand, stood stock still, a nasty scowl twisting her features although it seemed to be aimed at the short man only.

Rowan groaned from the pain. Cradling his arm as he looked fearfully up at the three people staring down at him.

The short man grinned before opening his mouth and saying, “now, no one will hear you scream.”

Those were the last words he would hear before the giant swung his fist knocking him out, clean.

When Rowan next woke up, it was to gentle swaying and to his cheek throbbing angrily. At first, he had thought his body was moving as a result of the pain however as he sat up, he realized with a nasty shock that he was on a boat. Fear curled within his gut, his chest squeezing uncomfortably with it.

“Ah, you’re awake!”

Rowan flinched and looked up towards the source of the voice, only to see the short man from before grinning at him. The man looked at him as if he was a chest full of gold and it sent shivers scuttling down Rowan’s body.

His companions were also there, Rowan noticed. The Indian girl stood near the end of the boat, her gaze pinned on something in the far distance-he wasn’t sure what; it was too dark to see much anyway- while the giant sat diagonally to him, a dopey smile on his face except unlike the short man, his seemed genuine. He gave Rowan a little wave.

“What do you want?” Rowan asked, little knives of pain stabbed at him as he spoke.

“To start a war,” the man said simply as if it was the sanest thing in the world. “You see, prince while you were out cold, I put a patch belonging to the country of Gilder on your house and sent it back towards the kingdom. When your beloved eventually sees this, he will suspect Gilder and want to find you and when he finds your-”

“Oh gosh,” the girl muttered under her breath and rolled her eyes. “Not this again. Vizzini, you keep talking about this war business, can you give it a rest?”

The short man, Vizzini, snarled at her. “I’m the one paying you so why don’t you give it a rest, Parvati? Or maybe you would like to take a swim in the middle of the ocean, hmm?”

Parvati pursed her lips but kept quiet.

“That’s not very nice,” the giant frowned, standing up as he did so. His fists were clenched and he looked ready to fight.

Rowan didn’t miss the way Vizzini flinched and he couldn’t help but find some joy in it.

“Don’t worry, Fezzik,” Parvati said and gave him an encouraging smile, walking towards him as she did so. She stopped by his side and patted his arm in comfort. Fezzik seemed to calm down at that and after a couple of seconds, relaxed his hands.

Vizzini scowled at the two of them and left his spot by his Rowan to go berate them. “I think the both of you have forgotten who the real boss is here. Parvati, who rescued you from those men that wouldn’t leave you alone at the bar- it was me. And who talked you out of your debt? Me. Fezzik, you should also be grateful towards me, after all I was the one who persuaded the circus that you were trapped in to let you go. Do you want to go back there? No? Then maybe you should start acting more grateful. All I’ve ever done is…”

While the three of them were distracted, Rowan used it as his opportunity to escape. Before they could catch him, he was diving into the ice-cold water of the ocean. He wasn’t sure how he was going to swim back to land especially since he couldn’t see it and it was night but anything was better than his current situation.

The iciness of the water came as a shock and he was not prepared for it. For a couple of seconds, Rowan was still, his mind trying to move past how numbingly cold the water was. Eventually, he snapped out of it and kicked his way to the surface, a loud gasp permeating the silent night as his head broke the surface.

“Hey!” Vizzini called.

Rowan barely even looked at him before he began to paddle away from the boat. The rough waves kept making it difficult for him to swim but as of now, he couldn’t do much.

“Stop!” Vizzini yelled but Rowan didn’t listen, too hell-bent on getting away from his kidnappers.

“You’ll die if you swim any further!”

This time it was Parvati who had spoken and there seemed to be real panic embedded into her voice.

Rowan stopped swimming and turned towards the boat; it was getting closer towards him and if he didn’t move fast then they would catch him.

“Your majesty,” Vizzini said, “these waters aren’t for swimming in. They are infested with monsters with the most terrifying being the Anguis which is an ugly serpentine creature. What’s so special about this one is that unlike the other monsters it feeds on human flesh only.”

“You’re lying!” Rowan yelled and turned around to start paddling once more before stopping in his tracks.

Something had just brushed up against his leg- something long and smooth and serpentine. Rowan choked on a scream. It could have been anything, this was the ocean after all, either way, he needed to calm down. There was nothing wrong; he was going to be fine. Soon, he would be back-

A low hiss permeated the air and Rowan’s heart skipped a beat. In the far distance, there was something moving towards him at a rapid pace. It was long and snake-like and whenever it lifted its head, he got a view of all the teeth sticking out of its mouth.

“Oh god,” Rowan whispered.

He knew he should swim away but his body was frozen in shock and he could only watch in horror as the thing drew nearer and nearer until its jaws were right in front of his face, getting ready to bite-

Before it could snap its jaws, a giant fist bore down it, smashing it into the water. The Anguis let out a shrill cry before quickly swimming away; Rowan didn’t even get the chance to see its retreating form as he was suddenly lifted out of the water and deposited onto the boat.

“You!” Vizzini yelled, grabbing the tired prince by the arm and throwing him against the mast. “Parvati, get some rope and tie him up.”

Parvati nodded her head, casting a pitiful gaze towards Rowan before gathering some rope and winding it around his torso.

“Tighter! I don’t want him getting away, again. If he does then that means none of us will get paid,” Vizzini barked out.

Parvati begrudgingly followed and soon, enough Rowan was tied tightly to the mast, the rope almost cutting into his skin. He winced at this however, despite his obvious discomfort, Vizzini still didn’t look satisfied.

He kneeled down in front of Rowan and grabbed his chin in his grubby hands, giving it a harsh squeeze. Rowan shivered- he wasn’t sure if it was from the cold seeping into his bones or the vicious look in Vizzini’s eyes.

“You try anything again and I won’t hesitate to cut up that pretty face of yours. You hear me?” he threatened.

Rowan nodded.

“What are you doing?” Vizzini rudely asked as he noticed that Parvati was gazing at something on the distant horizon. She had been doing this the whole night and it was starting to get on his nerves.

It had been a long and rough night for everyone. Parvati had spent it gazing out at something on the ocean while Fezzik had tossed and turned, the rustling of his clothes was what had woken Vizzini up. Rowan, on the other hand, had not slept well, partly due to the ropes binding him to the mast and also because of the chilling dream he had had. It had been about Landon- as most of them usually were- but this one was different.

_Landon was dressed in all black, his piercing blue eyes the only thing visible against the dark mask he wore- perhaps if Rowan did not love the other as deeply as he did, he might not have recognized him in his new attire but he did. They peered at him, partly with worry and disappointment._

_“Why didn’t you wait for me?” he asked and Rowan felt his heart stutter with guilt._

_“I did,” he whispered, lifting his hand to gently caress his lover’s. “I waited for so many years but then you didn’t come back, no matter how many times I called for you, no matter how many nights I wasted shedding tear after tear, sending prayer after prayer. You just…you didn’t come.”_

_“Rowan, my love,” Landon whispered and pulled the smaller man into his arms, gently running his fingers through the strands of his soft brown hair._

_Rowan sobbed into his shoulder, his fists clutching desperately at the black lapels of his shirt. He had had so many dreams like this- where him and Landon would reunite and they could go back to the lives that they had led before but this one was different. It felt more real. When Rowan pressed his ear against the other’s chest, he swore he could feel the steady thrum of his beating heart; even the warmth that Landon was emitting felt so realistic that Rowan swore that he was holding onto his real lover and not a figment of his own imagination. However, he was not fanciful nor was he stupid; Landon was lying dead at the bottom of the ocean. He was definitely not holding onto Rowan._

_“I’m here now,” Landon murmured against his head- Rowan didn’t have the heart to tell him otherwise and so, kept quiet. “And, I’m going to come for you, Rowan. I promise.”_

_Rowan looked up towards Landon, his gaze meeting the other’s eyes._

_“You promise?” Rowan asked, indulging the dream version of his lover even though he knew that there was no possibility of the other ever coming to save him._

_“Of course,” Landon said, that same smirk- the one that used to drive Rowan insane- sneaking its way onto his features. “I’ll always come for you.”_

Those words were still ringing in his ears even after he had been woken up and no matter how hard he tried to get them out of his head, he couldn’t. Those words, they gave him hope and Rowan hadn’t felt that for many, many years. There was a reason for that, all hope ever led to was bitterness and more heartbreak and Rowan couldn’t handle it, not again. It was a dangerous thing, hope, and he wanted to stay far away from it.

“Just looking,” Parvati answered airily causing Vizzini to scowl at her.

“Can you stop that? It’s making me anxious,” he snapped.

Parvati ignored him and continued to stare out over the ocean, her eyes scanning the pretty blue waves.

“By any chance, could someone have followed us?” she asked, breaking the silence which had settled over them all.

Vizzini gave her a puzzled look. “What? Of course, no one could have followed us. Not a soul in Gilder is aware of what we’ve done and there’s no chance that the people of Levania could have caught up to us.”

Parvati shrugged and dropped the subject. Once more a blanket of silence settled over the four of them however, it didn’t last long before Vizzini was disturbing it again.

“Out of interest, why do you ask?”

Parvati shrugged again. “Oh, no reason; I just saw a ship trailing behind us and I was wondering.”

“Inconceivable!” Vizzini screamed.

“Inconceivable?” Fezzik muttered to himself. “Are you sure that’s the word?”

“Of course, you bumbling fool, I am the one who is the brains of this organization so how can I not know what inconceivable means?” Vizzini screamed and the giant pursed his lips.

“Either way, I still think you need a dictionary,” Fezzik grumbled under his breath, soft enough so that Vizzini would not hear but Rowan, who was sitting beside him could. The prince snorted.

Fezzik noticed and smiled at him, his eyes crinkling as he did so.

“Why-never mind,” Parvati sighed. “Anyway, there’s another boat and they’ve been following us since last night.”

Vizzini gawked at her. “Why didn’t you say anything!?”

“You said it was inconceivable,” Parvati frowned.

“That’s not the point!”

Vizzini got up from his spot by the side of the boat and hurried over to Parvati, looking out over the back of it. A great black ship loomed in the distance, almost blocking out the rising sun and Vizzini could not help but shiver at the sight and the sick sense of foreboding that it gave him.

“Inconceivable,” Vizzini mumbled in shock.

By now, Fezzik’s interest had also been piqued and so he got up from his spot beside the captive prince, making his way towards Parvati and Vizzini. Rowan, on the other hand, could feel his heart hammering away in his chest.

_I’ll come for you._

With each thud of his heart, Landon's words seemed to echo within his mind. How was it possible that just as he had that dream a mysterious ship showed up which seemed to be following them? It was too much of a-

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway,” Vizzini huffed and turned around to head back to his previous place. “Because right now, we’re at the cliffs of insanity and unlike us, this mystery ship won’t be able to climb up it. They’ll have to sail around for hours before they can find a suitable harbour to dock their ship.”

Rowan felt the colour drain from his face as his gaze shifted to the upcoming wall of rocks that practically towered over them. A jagged cliff greeted him with different stones jutting out at sharp angles- at the thought of climbing them, his stomach gave a sick lurch. Could he even climb it, to begin with?

“What’s wrong?” Fezzik asked as he sat down on a crate on Rowan’s left, Parvati joined him soon after, taking a seat on his right.

“He’s been kidnapped, Fez. What do you think?” Parvati sighed and began to untie the ropes binding him to the mast.

Fezzik frowned. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help but…”

He shrugged and Rowan snorted- his arms may be practically numb from the ropes and his clothes may be cold and clingy but at least his kidnappers were sweet; well, some of them.

“I’m not- I know this going to sound strange but surprisingly that isn’t what’s troubling me,” Rowan said.

At the shocked look that both Parvati and Fezzik gave him, he started to regret opening his mouth- it wasn’t as if they were going to sympathize with him; after all they were going to kill him. And yet, Rowan couldn’t help but want to share his pain; this was going to be the last chance he could tell his story.

“I had a dream,” he began, a blush creeping its way onto his cheeks as he realized just how silly his words sounded aloud. “It was about someone I miss very dearly.”

“Was it about Prince Humphrey?” Parvati asked. She finished untying Rowan and gave him a couple of minutes to stretch his limbs out.

Rowan shook his head, rubbing his arms. “The man I love is…gone. He was killed by pirates many years ago but there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t miss him.”

He swallowed thickly and tired to push back the memories that were threatening to surface. Most of them were happy- there was never a bad moment with Landon- however with the loss and the passing of time, those joyous memories became sour and bitter and he could not look upon them without feeling some form of discontent.

“How long has it been? Since he passed away,” Parvati asked, her expression containing a sorrow similar to the one on Rowan.

“Five years but it feels like yesterday,” Rowan sighed, his heart squeezing with pain. They say that time heals your wounds; that the days flying by help to stitch up the cut made in your heart from the burden of missing someone but Rowan could not agree because the cut in his heart was still bleeding, even after all these years.

“That’s true love!” Fezzik exclaimed startling both Parvati and Rowan. “You’ve had true love so why are you marrying the prince?”

Rowan pursed his lips. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t marry him at all but he-”

“Hey!” Vizzini yelled startling them all. “Get going, if we waste any more time then that boat will catch up to us!”

Parvati scowled but nonetheless, followed his order, grabbing a stray rope and looping it around the prince’s wrists. Rowan would have fought back, perhaps even put up a bit of a fuss but the stress of his situation combined with the frigid and cold air seeping into his bones had drained his strength. So, he let Parvati bind his wrists together and Fezzik carry him off the boat.

The giant gave him an empathetic smile and Rowan tried to return it but his smile only ended up looking like a grimace.

Once they were off the boat, they made their way to the wall of sharp, ugly rocks.

Rowan shivered at the sight. Fezzik sat him down quietly on a rock and Rowan watched as Parvati attached a harness- it looked like it could carry two people- onto Fezzik. Meanwhile, Vizzini was standing close to the rocks, a thick and sturdy rope which looked to be attacked to a point far above them, in his hand.

“Hurry up; he’s almost docked his ship!” Vizzini snapped.

Parvati tightened the harness before grabbing Rowan by his bound wrists and helping him into the one empty harnesses while Vizzini climbed into the other.

“We’re not seriously going to climb this?” he asked, his stomach rolling at the thought. He couldn’t even see the top; not to mention would the rope even be able to hold all of them? Could Fezzik even carry them all up?

“Of course,” Parvati answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Rowan felt the colour drain from his face.

“Don’t worry, your highness,” Fezzik said upon noticing the other’s distressed state, “I’m very strong so I won’t drop you and this rope is also very sturdy so we’ll make it.”

Now, that both Vizzini and the prince were properly secured into the harnesses and Parvati had a strong hold on the giant, Fezzik grabbed the rope, giving it an experimental tug and began to climb. Rowan gasped as his feet left the ground and he tried to stop himself from almost choking Fezzik with his grip- at first, he thought that they would barely make it three pulls before they all fell but oddly enough, the giant pulled through. They were almost halfway up- the top of the cliff was now visible- when things started to go wrong.

“I don’t believe it,” Parvati said in awe.

“What?” Vizzini asked before looking down in order to see what had the young girl so entranced.

He almost screamed in outrage when he found it. A man dressed all in black and wearing a mask seemed to be climbing up the same rope as them- quite fast as well. Rowan could only look for a second as the great height made him queasy.

“Hurry up!” Vizzini screamed. “He’s gaining on us!”

Fezzik grunted in response but complied with the order, his hands never faltering as he upped his speed.

“Faster! Do you want to lose your job?” Vizzini yelled causing the giant to wince.

“Don’t be like that. Plus, I’m carrying three people and he only has himself,” Fezzik complained.

Parvati patted him on the back. “Don’t worry, Fezzik. I think you’re doing great.”

They eventually made it to the top- luckily (for Vizzini) the man in black still had a long way to go.

“Quick, cut the rope,” Vizzini yelled.

Parvati let out a sigh before reluctantly making her way over to the rock that the rope was attached to and unsheathed her sword, using it to cut at the thick material. At the sight, Rowan felt a spark of panic flare up within his chest- here was the only person who had a chance of rescuing him (who knew how long Humphrey would take, he might be dead by then) and they were about to fall to their death. He cast a glance toward the rope- it was almost severed- and then to the man climbing before eventually coming to a decision.

“Hey!” he yelled to the man. “They’re going to cut the rope! Be care-”

A sharp cry left his lips as he was suddenly yanked backwards by his hair and onto the dusty ground.

“That’s it!” Vizzini yelled while letting go of Rowan who fell to the ground. He pulled out a small silver knife which glinted in the mid-morning sun. “I warned you about what would happen if you tried anything again and now-”

Fezzik moved so that he was standing between Vizzini and the prince, a mean frown on his face.

“That’s enough,” he said quietly but despite his soft tone, the shorter man backed off, tucking his little knife back into his boot.

“Right, fine,” Vizzini said- he looked calmer now, a bit frazzled but he didn’t look like he was going to hurt Rowan anymore. “Parvati, have you cut the rope?”

Parvati nodded, a grave look on her face.

The four of them- with Vizzini keeping a strong grip on Rowan- peered over the edge of the cliff and let out a loud scream. Parvati snorted while Rowan gave a great big grin. Fezzik looked over the edge in shock but he was quieter about his surprise.

“How is he still alive?” Vizzini screamed causing Rowan to smirk. The short angry man then turned to Parvati- who tried not to laugh at how ridiculously red his face was. “You, stay behind. When he comes up, I want you to finish him with the sword.”

“I’ll duel him with my left hand,” Parvati said.

“Argh,” Vizzini screamed, “you know we’re in a rush. Can’t you just use your right?”

“It wouldn’t be right,” Parvati frowned. “It would be over too quick.”

“Fine,” Vizzini yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. “Fezzik, carry the prince; the both of you will be coming with me. Parvati, when you finish him off, you can catch up to us then.”

Parvati nodded while Fezzik went to pick up Rowan, casually throwing the prince over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing.

“Be careful,” Fezzik warned Parvati, “people in masks are not to be trusted.”

Parvati was not a patient person by nature. So, when a good ten minutes had passed and the man in black had still not reached the top, she was already pacing irritably. She didn’t want to have to wait for long especially since her fingers were itching for a fight.

“Hey! You there!” Parvati called.

The man in black paused his climbing and gave her an annoyed look.

“Yes?”

“Do you think you could…I don’t know, hurry it up?” she asked.

Parvati could hear his sigh from up on the cliff but she couldn’t find it in herself to be guilty.

“Please?” she added.

“Well, I mean if you keep talking to me, it’ll take even longer,” he shouted.

Parvati pursed her lips, walking away from the cliff edge. That didn’t last long and soon enough she was back to standing over the cliff, shouting down at the man in black- except this time, she had the cut off piece of rope in her hand.

“I could throw you a rope?” she suggested.

Once more, the man stopped and gave her the same annoyed look.

“How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you’re not tricking me and that you won’t throw me off, the second I take the rope?” he asked.

Parvati titled her head. It was a fair question; if she was in his position, she would be full of doubt. So, the real question was, how could she make him trust her?

“I swear on my heart-”

“That doesn’t mean anything. There are many people who swear on their hearts but end up betraying me all the same,” the man in black said.

“Fine,” Parvati pursed her lips. “I swear on my dead husband that I will not do you any harm- at least not until you have both your feet planted on flat ground.”

For a minute, Parvati thought he would say no but then he nodded his head and she threw down the rope, smiling as she did so. It didn’t take long for the man in black to climb up to the plateau and soon enough, he was lying on the dusty floor, panting.

“I’ll give you some time to rest,” Parvati said when she saw him about to sit up.

At her words, the man in black lay back down.

“You’re very polite considering that you’re going to kill me- well, at least try to,” he said.

“I believe in an honourable and fair fight,” Parvati said. She had unsheathed her sword and was now using a bit of her shirt to wipe it clean even though it was incredibly well-polished.

The man scoffed. “I did not think there was any honour amongst thieves.”

“I am not a thief,” she scoffed.

“You stole Prince Humperdinck’s bride.”

Parvati snorted at the silly nickname he had given the prince and shook her head.

“It’s different,” Parvati said quietly- she couldn’t put it into words but she just knew it was. “It’s not like you’re any better. You’re here to steal him away from us too, aren’t you? I mean, no offence but you’re not exactly dressed like a knight in shining armour.”

The man’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry; I did not mean to upset you and I suppose you’re right but if you must know, I am not here to steal him from you.”

“It’s alright,” Parvati sighed, “why do you want him anyway?”

The man in black smiled at her before answering with two words:

“True love.”

“No!” Vizzini screamed when he saw the man in black once more catching up to them. “I can’t believe Parvati failed to stop him- that imbecile. Ugh! Fezzik, you stay behind and I’ll take the prince.”

Fezzik set the prince down, a frown on his face as he did so. He hoped that Parvati was alright; although he hadn’t known the girl for long, she made good company and he would hate to see her hurt.

(She wasn’t- not in the slightest. She had decided not to fight the man in black, not because he could best her but because she would best him and she didn’t want to be what stood in the way between him and his true love. And so, instead of fighting him, she had let him go).

“Catch up to us when you’re done,” Vizzini said, grabbing Rowan by the arm. “And make sure he’s dead. I don’t want to have to worry about any of this man in black nonsense.”

Fezzik nodded his head and cracked his knuckles, waiting for the man in black to reach him.

“That should stop him,” Vizzini muttered as he pulled Rowan along up the hill and out of the masked man’s sight.

Fezzik wasn’t expecting the masked man to be so polite nor was he expecting, Parvati to show up in the middle of their battle, screaming at him to stop. The giant had looked at her in confusion before dropping the rock which he was supposed to use to smash the masked man’s head with (fortunately he did not drop it on his head and instead, beside it where the rock then proceeded to roll away).

“What?” he asked and while he was distracted by the swordsman, the man in black took this as his opportunity to escape. He kicked at the giant with both his legs, taking him by surprise and sending him sprawling onto his back.

“Fezzik!” Parvati called, panting. “Do-don’t kill him. He’s…shit. He’s doing this for a noble cause.”

The giant frowned however before he could ignore the girl and finish the man off, he had vanished, already chasing after Vizzini.

“Why’d you have to do that? Now, he’s getting away,” Fezzik whined once Parvati finally caught up to him- she may have been an excellent swordsman but running, was not her forte. Long-distance was even worse.

“I’ll ex…explain now,” she huffed.

Fezzik didn’t look very convinced but he didn’t argue with her- he couldn’t deny that there was a secret part of him that didn’t want to help Vizzini murder people; the masked man and the prince included.

It didn’t take long for the man in black to catch up to Vizzini and when he did, he was rather shocked by what he saw.

The short man greeted him with a warm smile which contrasted against the threatening manner in which he pressed a silver knife against the prince’s throat.

“Stop right there, mystery man,” Vizzini said.

The masked man froze, drinking in the scene before him. Sat at a small table which was covered with a purple tablecloth and had some bread and a bowl of fruit on it, was Vizzini pressing a sharp silver knife to Rowan’s throat. Rowan himself was blindfolded with his wrists bound; his normally neat brown hair was a tousled mess which was only testimony to what he had been through- that and the blood on his wrists from where the rope had cut into him.

The masked man took a tentative step forehead causing Vizzini to let out a loud sigh. He then proceeded to press the knife against Rowan’s throat eliciting a gasp from the other as it cut into him, drawing forth a drop of blood.

“Do you really want to kill him?” Vizzini asked, a sick, sadistic smile crawling its way onto his face. The man in black shook his head and stopped walking, holding his hands in the air.

“Good,” Vizzini said. “Now I want you to leave all your weapons on the ground and then come take a seat.”

The man in black hesitated.

“Or I could slit his throat, either way. Your choice.”

The masked man unbuckled the leather sheath at his waist and dropped it onto the ground- at the sound of the weapon falling to the ground, he could see Rowan visibly relax.

“Perfect! Now sit,” Vizzini said, gesturing with the knife at a seat opposite him and Rowan. The man in black sat down.

“As I’m sure you’ve figured out, I am the brains of this organization. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for me and my genius brain. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that I am better than any of those fools that historians dare to praise,” Vizzini said- the masked man scoffed. “However, I will admit that I am not physically gifted. But you, friend, are the exact opposite- you are not gifted in the mind but you are physically. You bested my best swordswoman, defeated my giant and you could most definitely beat me. However, you could not outsmart me. That puts us at a standstill.”

“How do you know that I wouldn’t be able to outsmart you?” The man asked, he had a soft and soothing voice with an underlying cocky tone. When he talked it felt as if he was telling a joke that only he was in on- oddly enough, it felt familiar to Rowan, as if he had heard it before but a very long time ago. If he wasn’t exhausted and his limbs weren’t aching from the cold, he would have probably been able to recognize it.

It definitely wasn’t Humphrey; Rowan knew that much. Humphrey’s voice was pompous and arrogant, and whenever he spoke, it made Rowan feel as if he was listening to nails scraping against a chalkboard.

“Because it’s inconceivable,” Vizzini said.

The man in black sighed and dropped his head but didn’t argue further. When he looked up again, gone was the exasperation which he had previously held for Vizzini and in its place was a mischievous glint.

“Well, if I can’t outsmart you and you can’t fight me then there’s only one other option,” he said causing Vizzini to give him a confused look. “We’ll leave it to fate.”

Vizzini let out a long and loud laugh; he even went as far as to wipe a fake tear from the corner of his eye.

“Fate?” he giggled. “What, nonsense.”

“Humour me,” the man in black said.

Vizzini waved his hand. “Alright, go on.”

“First pour two cups of wine,” the man in black ordered and Vizzini complied, pocketing the knife in order to pull out two goblets and fill them with a thick red wine.

Once they were filled the man in black nodded, satisfied, and took out a slim wooden vial.

“You see this,” he said while giving it a shake. Vizzini nodded and he then proceeded to uncork it. “Give it a smell.”

Vizzini leaned forward, sniffing the contents. “I don’t smell anything.”

“Exactly. It’s iocane powder- one of the deadliest poisons in the world. It’s completely tasteless, has no smell and it dissolves instantly and I’m going to be pouring it into one of the cups,” the man in black said. “I will then place one goblet in front of you and the other in front of me and from there the game will begin. You will have to figure out which wine has been poisoned.”

Vizzini scratched his chin in thought. The plan was genius; he was just irritated that he hadn’t come up with it himself.

“Alright I’ll play this game of yours,” Vizzini agreed.

The masked man grabbed the wine goblets and turned away from Vizzini, making sure that he, the goblets and the powder was out of the other’s prying eyes. When he turned back, he placed the one goblet in front of Vizzini and the other in front of himself.

“Let it begin,” Vizzini said. He peered curiously at the glasses, scrutinizing them, trying to see if any traces of the powder had been left behind however, he found none. “I doubt you would put the poison in your glass but you would have known that I would have assumed this and so, therefore the poison must be in your glass. But you also, knew that I would come to that conclusion which means that the poison is in my glass!”

“You are making this quite convoluted. It’s really not nece-”

“But here’s what you didn’t account for!” Vizzini yelled, he was growing increasingly excited by this small game and the man in black was beginning to regret ever introducing this concept.

Rowan, on the other hand, had never hated the sound of someone’s voice so much and his fiancé was a narcissist.

“Iocane powder originates from Australia and so, therefore-”

Both Rowan and the man in black zoned out or at least tried to but Vizzini’s loud and obnoxious voice seemed to make it impossible. They ended up succeeding, sort of, because the next thing they knew, his argument was coming to an end.

“-And that’s why the poison is in your glass instead of mine!”

Vizzini’s face was beet red and he was panting rather heavily but the masked man did not pay his frazzled state any heed.

“Then since you’ve made your decision, let us toast,” the man in black said, quickly reaching for the goblet before the shorter man could continue.

“Wait!” Vizzini yelled.

Both he and Rowan groaned.

“There’s something behind you!”

The masked man frowned before setting down his goblet and turning around to see what the other was talking about. While he was distracted, Vizzini quickly swapped the glasses, trying to stifle his giggles as he did so.

The man in black turned back around and Vizzini shrugged.

“Must have been a trick of the light?” he suggested and the man nodded, once more taking up his goblet.

The two toasted and as soon as they downed their drinks, Vizzini let out a loud, raucous laugh that had the man in black giving him a perplexed look.

“I-I swapped…the glasses,” he said in between bouts of laughter. “So, now you’re the one who is going to die because you-”

A loud thud permeated the air as Vizzini collapsed onto the table which was followed by a deafening silence. Rowan didn’t really know what to think- whether to be happy that he was finally being rescued or afraid that his saviour was a masked man whose intentions were probably the same as Vizzini’s, perhaps even worse.

His breath hitched as he felt gloved fingers pull the blindfold off of his face. It took a couple of seconds of Rowan blinking his eyes rapidly before his vision adjusted to the harsh sunlight- in the meantime, the man began untying his wrists, making sure to be extra careful so as not to damage his already injured wrists.

“Why are you doing this?” Rowan asked quietly.

He was burning to know the man’s real identity- something about him was so familiar but he couldn’t put his finger on it, that is until the man looked up. Ocean blue eyes clashed with his own brown ones and Rowan felt his breath hitch. He knew those eyes, knew them inside out, knew who they belonged to, knew the pain and the joy they had brought him. Looking into them made Rowan feel as if he was finally at home and there was only one person who had the power to do that.

“Landon,” he sighed, the name falling from his lips as natural as the ocean breeze.

The man stilled; his fingers had stopped untying the ropes.

“Was it really that obvious?” he asked, a familiar smirk crawling onto his features. “After all these years I didn’t think you would recognize me.”

Rowan smiled at him, a true smile- the kind that made his eyes crinkle at the edges and his vision blur but that also could have been because of the tears.

“How could I not? You’re my true love,” Rowan said and gave a wet laugh.

Landon smiled and began to wipe away the tears that had managed to escape Rowan’s eyes and drip down his cheeks. He untied the rest of the rope and pulled the other into a tight hug.

“I’ve missed you,” Landon whispered as he rubbed Rowan’s back in a soothing manner. He then began to sift his fingers through the strands of his hair- relishing in the feeling of how soft the other’s hair was.

“Miss is an incredibly sore understatement,” Rowan sniffled.

He gave Landon one last squeeze before breaking apart, nuzzling his nose in the crook of the other’s shoulder, taking in deep breaths of his scent. It had changed over the years before the pungent smell of the farm had been pinned to him- albeit not the best smell but it was comforting nonetheless- but now, all Rowan could smell the bitter salty scent of the ocean. It was the only unfamiliar thing about Landon.

“I want to see you,” Rowan said. The words had barely left his lips before Landon was pulling his mask off. His soft blond curls sprung free as the black mask was ripped from his head.

He had lines on his face from where the cloth had dug into his skin but Rowan didn’t notice them. He had forgotten how beautiful Landon was. All their time apart had desensitized him to the other’s angelic features so that now he as finally looking upon him, Rowan was breathless. His pale skin was flushed from exhaustion while his eyes reminded Rowan of the ocean on a hot summer day, sparkling and perfect.

Gingerly, Rowan reached up and ran his hand through the halo of curls sitting atop his lover’s head. Landon sighed at the feeling, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to be content. However, it was only for a few seconds.

“As much as I love spending time with you, we need to go,” Landon said, taking Rowan’s hand from his hair and bringing it between them. “My men should have taken the ship to the harbour by now.”

He got up, ready to start heading to the nearest village however, he felt a pull on his arm and looked down to see Rowan still sitting at the table.

“Wait,” Rowan said. “Your men? What are you-”

“I’ll explain later but we really need to leave,” Landon insisted, giving Rowan’s hand a squeeze.

Rowan smiled at him- he didn’t want to wait but there didn’t seem to be any other choice.

“Alright,” he agreed.

He got up from his spot on the ground, trying not to look at Vizzini’s dead body. Although he hated the man, his stiff body bent over the table was a garish sight to see and he wanted to avoid it. However, Vizzini’s dead body was the least of his problems because as he stood up and began to walk with Landon, he began to feel black dots attack his vision.

“Landon,” he gasped, his knees buckling.

“Rowan?”

Rowan groaned, blearily opening his eyes and was greeted by a warm crackling fire. He tried to sit up, but a bout of dizziness overcame him, and he ended up falling back down. Luckily, steady hands managed to catch him and set him down on the ground with a surprising gentleness.

“Are you alright?”

Rowan looked away from the dazzling flames of the fire and into Landon’s wide blue eyes. Concern seemed to swim within his irises and Rowan felt a pang of guilt for being the cause of it. He hadn’t meant to faint; everything had just seemed to catch up to him- the lack of food, all of the running, the anxiety of his situation, almost being eaten by eels as well as almost having his throat slit by a crazed man.

“Yes, I’m um, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to faint like that,” Rowan said. He sat up, making sure that he took his time so as not to trigger another bout of dizziness.

When he managed to sit up properly, he noticed a couple of things. First that the sun had long set and the reason why it was so dark was not because of the thicket of trees but because it was late at night. The next thing Rowan noticed was that he and Landon were not alone. Sitting opposite them, on the other side of the fire, was Parvati and Fezzik.

Upon noticing him staring, the giant gave him a small wave while Parvati simply nodded at him.

“Your highness,” she greeted and Rowan dipped his head in acknowledgement.

He wasn’t sure what exactly was happening- whether the other two were on their side or not and he was about to open his mouth to find out when he was interrupted.

“Let’s get some food in you first and then we’ll talk, no?” Landon said.

Rowan wanted to argue against the idea but his stomach gave a loud grumble- his cheeks grew red when he heard a few snickers and snorts- and he was forced to comply. As soon as he was given food, Landon began to explain.

The explanation was rather complicated and odd and by the end of it, Rowan wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or afraid.

Five years ago, when he had first left for his job, his ship really had been attacked by the Black Swan however, unlike most instances, the captain allowed for one survivor and it was Landon. The reason for this was that he wanted a successor and thought the other would be the perfect fit- as he was about to kill him, the captain had asked why he should spare him and Landon had answered with “true love”; this phrase was what prompted the Black Swan to spare his life. However, that did not necessarily mean that Landon was free. For four years, Landon was forced to become the captain’s apprentice and learn how to properly lead a ship. Most of his training involved fighting (of all kinds- with weapons and with hand-to-hand combat) as well as building up different immunities to certain poisons- this was how he bested Vizzini, by putting the poison in both cups. Eventually, Landon became so good that he even bested the captain himself and as a result, he was finally allowed to take over the ship while the previous captain retired. Once he took over, he decided to try and find Rowan so that they could live in peace however when he finally came back home, he heard that he was getting engaged- to the future king no less.

Landon didn’t want to move on but when your true love was getting engaged to the future ruler of your kingdom, there wasn’t much that you could do. It was only when he got wind of Rowan’s kidnapping that Landon realized that perhaps he did have a chance, that he could truly be happy. And all he would have to do was put himself in harm’s way? Easy enough.

As for Fezzik and Parvati, they had nowhere to go now that Vizzini was dead and so, Landon had taken pity on them, allowing them to tag along. Parvati was also an excellent swordsman which would come in handy when she took over as the Black Swan- they had already discussed it, Landon wanted to be with Rowan and Parvati needed help to find the man that had killed her husband and brutally murder him. It was a win-win situation.

“I’m sorry about your husband,” Rowan said after Landon had explained everything. “I really do hope that you find the man that took him from you.”

Parvati gave Rowan a soft smile and nodded her head at him. “I have been looking for my husband’s murderer for years and during that time, I’ve only ever had one clue to guide me- the killer had six fingers. It’s been difficult trying to find someone like that but perhaps with Fezzik as well as a whole ship of people, I can do it.”

“We will,” Fezzik said and smiled at the smaller woman. He reached towards and randomly flicked one of her long plaits.

“Rowan,” Landon murmured as he pulled the other against his side- conveniently, Parvati and Fezzik began to enter a conversation of their own, leaving the lovers’ to their own devices.

Rowan hummed in response, nuzzling himself into Landon.

“I was thinking that we could go somewhere north,” Landon said. He brushed a stray hair from Rowan’s forehead before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on it.

Now, that Rowan was in his arms, Landon found that he could not stop touching the other; his fingers seemed to move freely on their own accord leaving feather-light touches all over his lover’s body. Rowan seemed to feel the same way as he, not only welcomed those touches but let his body melt into Landon’s hands. However, that didn’t mean that the other’s touch didn’t make Rowan flustered.

Rowan tried to hide his blush by burying himself even further into Landon but it wasn’t working very well because not long after he had spoken, he could hear the blonde’s body shake with laughter.

“I’ve always wanted to see the snow,” Rowan eventually said once Landon had quieted down.

“Me too,” Landon agreed. “I’ve always wanted to own a small cabin in the mountains where you and I can stay.”

“The flowers would be beautiful there in spring,” Rowan added as an afterthought.

He could picture it already. Landon and him living the rest of their lives in a small wooden cabin in the mountains and in the winter, they would play outside in the snow, admiring how it seemed to blanket everything. While during the night they would curl up together on the couch with the crackling fire keeping them warm. The spring would be different- warmer for one but the snow would have melted and left behind beautiful green pastures, perfect for animals to graze on. Rowan would of course ask Landon to fetch some flower seeds and the two would plant them together. It would be their own paradise although if they were both being honest with each other, just being in each other’s arms was a sort of heaven in itself.

His hand had slipped off of Rowan’s shoulder and made its way down to his waist where he proceeded to draw small comforting circles against the other’s side. Rowan sighed in content at the contact and rested his head on Landon’s shoulder, letting his eyes flutter close.

“I love you, Rowan,” Landon whispered. “I love you so much and I can’t wait to marry you.”

Rowan’s eyes sprang open and he lifted his off of his lover’s shoulder.

“Do you mean it?” Rowan asked, disbelief colouring his voice.

“Of course. Rowan, I want to build a whole life with you; why wouldn’t I want to marry you?” Landon answered.

“I-I just…I didn’t know-”

Rowan tried to come up with a coherent answer but eventually, he gave up and dissolved into a fit of giggles. Landon gave him a confused look but Rowan only shook his head and cupped the other’s face in his warm hands.

“I would love to marry you, Landon,” Rowan said. “There is no other person better suited for me than you.”

Landon opened his mouth to try and respond with something equally as sappy however before he could say anything, he felt Rowan press his soft lips against his own chapped ones and immediately felt himself melt into the other.

For Landon, kissing Rowan felt like standing under the sun on a hot summer’s day. It was warm and searing hot and although he felt like he was burning, Landon knew he would miss the feel of Rowan’s lips against his, dearly when they pulled apart- just like how he would miss the sun when the clouds took over. It was a different story for Rowan. For him, it felt as if he was taking his first step into the ocean. He was shy at first, his heart fluttering nervously however like the water, it didn’t take long for him to adjust and soon he grew bolder with his movements. With the sea, he would have taken another step but with Landon, he slipped his fingers into the other’s unruly curls and pulled him closer, until their chests were flushed against each other. The two were relishing in each other’s contact- for the first time in a very long time, they felt as if they were home- and they would have continued on if their lungs weren’t bursting for air.

They reluctantly pulled apart, their foreheads touching each other.

Rowan let his hands slip from Landon’s curls and onto his shoulders.

“I love you,” Rowan panted, looking into the other’s bright blue eyes as he did so.

Landon’s breath hitched and then he was going in for another kiss. However, soon enough he was pulling back, sucking in a deep breath. He laughed lightly before saying:

“I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, so here's my princess bride au with my characters Rowan and Landon. I hope that you all like it- if any of you have any feedback or prompts (I'm open to anything) you'd like to give me, just pop it in the comment section >.<
> 
> Some things that you guys should know is that I changed Prince Humperdink's name to Prince Humphrey, the original kingdom name has been changed Levania (I was too lazy to look it up at the time so I made a new one, sozzles), I swapped out Inigo's character for my own oc, Parvati, (I'm very sorry if anyone is offended by that) and I also changed Landon's back story a bit. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys are staying safe and taking care of yourselves; enjoy!


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